A legislative body of the Upper House of parliament on Wednesday strongly opposed the use of plastic bags due to environmental hazards and suggested heavy taxation to discourage the use of plastic. “It will be difficult to ban the use of plastic in one go because thousands of people re involved in plastic business. However, proper campaign against the use of plastic is need of the hour,” said Mushahid Hussain Sayed while chairing a sub-committee of Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change here at the Parliament House. The committee decided to initiate an awareness campaign over bad impact of plastic bags and its alternatives. The committee also decided to telecast awareness campaign against plastic bags over electronic media through ministry of Information and Broadcasting or PEMRA. State Minister for Climate Change Ms Zartaj Gul told the committee that with the passage of time plastic become a cottage industry and thousands of people were involved in this business. However, she also said that plastic bag had bad impact on environment but it could not be stopped with one go. It can be phase out with the passage of time. If one province ban plastic bag manufacturing then there was a possibility that the manufacturer may shift to another province. However, she said that in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) steps should be taken make a model for rest of the country. She also suggested that the government can impose heavy taxation over plastic bags manufacturing which may reduce its usage. The minister for climate change also assured the committee that her ministry can take appropriate measures against the usage of plastic bags. She also informed the committee that the government totally banned burning of wastage openly, which according to her create environmental issue. Any one violating the law can be arrested, she maintained. Detail presentation was given by the joint secretary ministry of climate change over awareness campaign against plastic bags. Except an SRO, there was no proper law to ban the manufacturing and use of plastic shopping bags in ICT. In Balochistan, where an Ordinances to ban all kind of plastic bags was promulgated but could not be implemented due to non-cooperation of manufacturers and consumers. It suggested combinations of measures to stop usage of plastic bags, which include banning manufacturing, selling and usage of non-degradable plastic bags in the country. Increasing thickness of degradable bags to 30 microns. It also suggested rationalizing tariff in favor of manufacturing of paper bags and concession on import of automatic paper bag machinery. The committee also briefed over the hospital waste management. The committee was informed that PIMS installed incinerator, which would be able to dispose of 200 kilogram wastage on daily basis. The committee demanded proper policy over the dispose of hospital waste management in proper place outside of the ICT boundaries. Convener of the committee Mushahid Hussain Syed decided to check the smoke taken out from Industrial Areas of Islamabad I-9. He also decided that in March a single point agenda meeting would be call to discuss only landfilling for garbage and waste and all stakeholders including CDA, MCI should attend it. The committee also decided to cleanness campaign with the students of COMSATS University in some parts of the Islamabad. The young people and students would be involved in such activities, which would held by end of this month. Published in Daily Times, February 14th 2019.